Puya Nedadahandeh '17: Finding a Path is Sometimes the Path

Puya Nedadahandeh '17: Finding a Path is Sometimes the Path

Puya Nedadahandeh '17

Puya Nedadahandeh ’17 (Undergraduate Business Administration) could not have been named more aptly — his first name means 'curious’ in Persian.

“I like to try new things,” this Swedish-born senior says. “I like to explore different subjects — and that’s why business as a major appealed to me, because I was able to take statistics, negotiations, entrepreneurship — a wide variety of subjects that I might not have gotten exposed to in another major.” 

Leaving the comforts of home and embarking on a college career in another country also forced Nedadahandeh to grow into his personality and rise to the challenge of being an experience-seeker.

During his time at USD, he’s gotten involved with Associated Students as a senator and participated in the diversity committee. He also sat on the Student Conduct Hearing Board and was part of the orientation team for international students — which he finds particularly rewarding, given his own adjustment period when he first came to the United States.

“Everything is different here,” he says, “from how exams are done to choosing what class or professor to take. I know how that feels, so I like to be a mentor to new international students coming to campus for the first time and be the bridge for them to this new life.” 

Nedadahandeh also fed his love of multi-tasking and technology through a job with the USD Information Technology department, where he got hands-on experience with creating an online supply chain management resource with Simon Croom, professor of supply chain, and integrating Instagram into Blackboard for an industrial organization and psychology class.

Because he is passionate about so many things, Nedadahandeh’s future seems limitless—which he does not find daunting. Prior to coming to the United States, Nedadahandeh worked as an ambassador for the United Nations Association of Sweden, and actually started a successful international Model UN conference in his hometown of Malmö.

Working for the UN is a dream that now may be overshadowed by aspirations to start his own company so he can oversee many different projects and make a positive impact. 

Nedadahandeh’s drive and passion are, in part, a result of his much-admired older brother. “My brother has encouraged me to do a lot of things at which I’ve ended up succeeding,” he says.

If it weren’t for his brother, Nedadahandeh says he wouldn’t have come to realize how important it is to consistently challenge himself: “Now, I am looking forward to getting out in the real world and getting some more experience. I’m still trying to figure out what path I’ll take, but I’m sure it’ll be something that keeps me curious.” 

— Amy Schmitz

Contact:

Amy Schmitz
amyschmitz@sandiego.edu
(619) 260-4658